Aaron Roderick Highlights 'Explosive' Freshman Journee Tonga

Tonga joined the program before Fall Camp as a walk-on

BYU RB Journee Tonga and linebacker Isaiah Glasker at Fall Camp | BYU Photo

Going into Fall Camp, the depth at running back was one of the primary questions for the BYU football program. The Cougars return the best running back in the Big 12 in LJ Martin, but behind Martin, BYU is unproven.

Sione Moa is the backup running back behind LJ Martin. However, Moa has run for just 236 yards over 2 years as injuries have limited his availability. On Tuesday, Aaron Roderick talked about the running back depth behind Martin. The depth chart is still being sorted, according to Roderick.

"I don't think we have the exact depth set yet," Roderick said. "But Preston Rex is gonna play this year. Devon [Eka] is gonna play this year, and then this kid Journee. He's, I don't know, we haven't ruled him out yet. He is explosive. Like every time he touches the ball, something exciting happens, it seems like."

Tonga was a late addition to BYU's roster. The California native is only 5'8, but he is well built at 198 pounds. Tonga's size limited his recruitment, although he did receive an offer from San Jose State. Tonga turned down the scholarship offer from SJSU to walk on at BYU.

Tonga was extremely productive in high school. As a junior, he ran for 2,267 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging 9.3 yards per carry. He ran for 1,334 yards as a senior on fewer carries, although he increased his receiving production as he played more slot receiver. Tonga is very elusive in the open field.

Great win against Crean Lutheran! Onto round 2! @Leuzinger_FB @recruitcoachmc @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/7c4FToa6ry

— Journee Tonga (@journee_tonga) November 9, 2025

In Tuesday's practice, Tonga got some run with the second and third-team offense. The team was live at that point, meaning they were tackling. Tonga took a short screen pass and made a coupld defenders miss with a nice juke move. He turned what would have been a gain of two or three yards into a 10-yard gain. That kind of ability in the open field is what Aaron Roderick was talking about.

Perhaps more than most positions, third, fourth, or even fifth-string running backs are important. In 2024, BYU was down to its fourth-string running back by September. Given the physical nature of the position, it's important to have quality depth at that spot.

If Tonga is ready to provide depth as a true freshman, BYU's running back room will be in a much healthier position going into the 2026 season.

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